Recently such data transfer between an analytical system and a data processing unit has proven to be increasingly useful since it is often desirable to process analytical data which for example simplifies a continuous monitoring of analytical data. A continuous monitoring of analytical data or for example a statistical evaluation of these data are only a few possibilities for optimizing an analytical process or its application.
Although data processing offers various advantages, it often proves to be too voluminous to be performed by conventional analytical instruments alone. Consequently additional constructional measures would be required to implement data processing by means of an analytical system which would increase the manufacturing costs. Hence a data processing unit is often not integrated into the analytical system for cost reasons and separate data processing units such as a PC are used instead. One of the advantages of this is that a data processing unit does not need to be integrated as a standard feature and thus the manufacturing costs of analytical instruments for fields of application in which data processing is not required are not unnecessarily increased. One field of application in which a reduction of manufacturing costs is important is for example the medical field. This applies in particular to the medical field of application in which the analytical instruments are intended for personal use. The reason for this is that the selling price is an important buying criterion for analytical systems that are sold to private individuals.
Despite the problems of cost effective instrument manufacture, the ability to process data will become more and more indispensable in the future since processing and evaluation of analytical data often proves to be useful particularly in the medical field.
This should simplify and improve monitoring of the state of health and optimization of treatments for private individuals.
In practice it turns out that, one the one hand, especially modern patients desire an autonomous management of their analytical data for an independent and optimized handling of their disease but, on the other hand, data processing is often unused since the operators of analytical instruments are often elderly persons who are not familiar with the modern methods of data processing.
Hence it is desirable to firstly only offer customers the possibility of data processing without incurring additional costs. With respect to further cost reduction the data processing should not only be carried out externally but instrument components for data processing that are already present integrated into the analytical instrument should be excluded from the analytical instrument. Such an instrument component is for example used to transfer data from the analytical instrument to an external data processing unit. Such a data transfer module is offered separately to the customer as an additional component and can be connected to the analytical instrument when required. This enables the operator to decide for himself whether to incur additional costs for his own data processing.
However, the provision of a separate data processing unit as an additional component of an analytical instrument requires that the connection of the data processing unit to the analytical instrument is simple to handle. Furthermore such a connection of a data transfer module should be inexpensive and not require complicated constructional measures, e.g. on the analytical instrument, so that the offer of an additional data processing remains attractive. An inexpensive connection of a data transfer module is disclosed in the prior art which utilizes a calibration module interface, which is usually already present as an interface, for a data transfer module.
A calibration module interface on an analytical system is used to connect a so-called calibration module. The calibration module contains coding which is stored on a chip and whose data are used to calibrate measuring data of an analytical instrument. Such a calibration is for example used to compensate for lot variations in the reagent system.
Examples of such systems are known from Roche Diagnostics GmbH which are used to measure blood sugar (AccuChek Advantage Family®). With such a glucose measuring instrument glucose is determined by means of test strips on which a sample is applied. The sample reacts with a reagent system of the test strip in such a manner that the glucose content of the sample can be quantified by the analytical instrument. The aforementioned calibration module which is often referred to as a codekey is for example enclosed in a pack of test strips in order to allow for lot-to-lot variations which occur in the manufacture of the test strips. For this purpose the calibration module is connected to the interface that is provided and the coding stored on a chip can be read out. The measured data are corrected in the analytical instrument by means of the coding.
In order to transfer data between the analytical instrument and a data processing unit the calibration module is removed in the prior art from the interface such that the interface can be used for data transfer. For this purpose a data transfer cable is used in the interface. The previously measured and stored data are transferred to the data processing unit by means of the data transfer cable by for example connecting the data transfer cable to a PC. The data can then for example be transferred by means of the PC software CAMIT® from Roche Diagnostics GmbH.
Suitable cables which can communicate with a calibration module interface are for example provided by Roche Diagnostics GmbH under the name “AccuChek Interface Cable®” or “Professional Cable®”.
However, a disadvantage of the prior art is that an electrical contact has to be made between the analytical instrument and the mains voltage of the data transfer unit for the data transfer. There is a potential risk to the customer that he may come into contact with the mains voltage via the contact chain: mains voltage-PC-analytical instrument-test strips-blood drop-user.
Hence when using such analytical instruments it is often noted in the manual that there is a risk to the user of electrification by the data transfer cable which is connected to the data processing unit which requires special precautionary measures in its operation.